Suspected Tallmadge killer could face death penalty

3 years ago

It's for the murders of Wendy Ralston and their five-year-old son Peyton.

Walsh says Tighe is charged with:

• Aggravated Murder with two specifications for death • Murder • Two counts of Tampering with Evidence, felonies of the third degree • Two counts of Domestic Violence, felonies of the fourth degree • Two counts of Gross Abuse of a Corpse, felonies of the fifth degree

If convicted of Aggravated Murder with at least one death specification, Tighe can be sentenced to death.

“October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and unfortunately, this case illustrates how a violent domestic relationship can easily turn deadly and how children, who often witness the abuse, are not immune to the same violence,” said Prosecutor Walsh. “While Domestic Violence does not always escalate to murder, close to a third of all female murder victims were killed by an intimate partner.”

Tallmadge Police took Daniel Tighe into custody last week, arresting him at the

Tallmadge Police Lt. Ronald Williams reports Tighe was taken into custody without incident, with the help of the Akron Bureau of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force.

He tells Newsradio WTAM 1100 that investigators had been keeping a close watch on Tighe and made the arrest after they developed enough evidence against him.

On August 10th, the bodies of Wendy and Payton Ralston were discovered behind their Stone Creek home. Tighe has been in the Summit County Jail since October 3. An arraignment date is not yet set.